System Solutions: Food Packaging Waste

When I began this project, I wanted to explore zero waste shopping and other bulk models as solutions to the problems created by single-use food packaging. Working through the project helped me see that the problem of packaging waste extends far beyond the retail level—to solve the problem, we need solutions that influence the entire food system.

In order to move away from ultra-processed food, wrapped in single-use packaging, we need a new goal for our food system: affordable, accessible food that is healthy for people and the planet.

The solutions I propose in this project aim to shift the broader system—with results that touch packaging waste and many other spheres, including health, agri­cultural systems, and equitable food access.